“The views of people who clearly show that they don't understand what they are talking about should be ignored: 14 million cattle are NOT moved each year. There are around 14 million registered 'on' and 'off' movements. Every animal movement can be counted up to four times due to the way in which data is collected by the British Cattle Movement Services. These movements also include movements to slaughter which cannot, by definition, spread bTB. The true number of cattle movements from farm to farm is closer to 2.5 million. This is a fraction of the number of uncontrolled and unmonitored badger movements that occur between farms every night of the year. In the worst areas The prevalence of bTB in badgers is around 200 times higher than in cattle. When Justin has learnt to count and interpret data properly perhaps he should come back with some valid (and true) points.”

“Oh dear!.... The science is inconclusive on the transmission route. It's all to easy to point the finger of blame at the Badger. Badger have lived far longer on this landscape of Britain than the human species. They have a natural birthright to live and survive next to man. It's just the fact that farming has become something of a joke over the last 30yrs. Like Justin says,the intensification of farming practices and cattle movement have all contributed to the spread of bTB in cattle. Farmers have alot to answer for...so do governments for creating intensive farming in developed countries. The march of globalization and the supermarket culture hasn't helped with the spread of corrupt farming practices. Wildlife is always demonised by the farmers as a convenient scapegoat to blame,when diseases like bTB appear.”

“:| The thing the badger groups and a few others just cannot seem to accept is that we once conquered this problem by clearing badger setts anywhere in locations of cattle herds and culling any reactor cattle. . The national herd was CLEAR of disease and all herds in the UK were officially designated ¿Brucellosis Free¿ in October 1985. . That is ¿all such pathogens¿. . With anti-biotics, Streptomycin, the Tetracyclines and other drugs; we had beaten tuberculosis and all the sanatoriums had long been closed. . . Then foolishly, to garnish a few extra votes, some politicians decided the risk from badgers was ¿now¿ minimal. . But with the explosion in the badger population we can all now see just how ¿minimal¿ that was.

The gassing of badgers ceased in the late 1970¿s, but extensive testing for tuberculosis still continued in the cattle herds

In 1986, a total of 38,000 herds comprising 3,200,000 cattle were tested, resulting in the slaughter of 506 cattle that reacted to the test, but TB had returned.

In 1996, 33,016 herds were tested containing 2,412,993 cattle, resulting in the slaughter of 3,253 animals that reacted to the test.

Last year well over 30,000 cattle had to be slaughtered.

:| It was shown by the Krebs trials that simply disturbing and dispersing badgers, distributes infection. . If anything has been shown by the trials, it is that there is now a need for a return to gassing complete setts. . But now with the greatly increased populations, we also need to close the setts and sterilise them, to prevent reinfection.

The Mycobacterium bovis bacillus is known to survive for an extraordinary length of time under certain conditions. . 6 to 8 months and more in body fluid, in dark cool conditions. .

Badgers spend 90% of their lives in cramped, crowded conditions underground, just incubating the slowly dividing mTB bacillus. . Badger Setts are clearly breeding grounds for bTB, as were the overcrowded Victorian slums for M.tuberculosis, the stain that normally affects humans.

Virtually all other countries cull any reservoir species of bTB, and test and cull any reactor cattle to keep cattle herds free from this bacterium and keep the human population safe.”

“Perhaps Justin could explain why the South West is a TB hot spot whilst the South East and the Wolds remain nearly TB free. If as he claims its all to do with the UK wide movement of cattle surely TB should be spread evenly across the country. Could it be that the population of Badgers is high in the South West?

Sure lets look at cattle movement and best farm practice but lets combine it with a cull in the worst areas and a vaccination in those that are less effected.

Unfortunately I think that Justin's motives aren't about best practice in farming or even the welfare of badgers and are akin to groups avocating veganism.”